We are familiar with the character Job in the Bible. God permitted Satan to persecute Job with the loss of family, possessions, and health in order to move Job to sin against God. Yet Job would not charge God with wrong doing. Even so, God used this trial to teach Job to rest in his care and trust the wisdom of his purposes even when our understanding fails.
There a quite a few spiritual lessons to learn from the record of Job. One that is especially encouraging to me is that of God’s unfailing oversight, orchestration, and execution of all the events in our lives consistent with his unalterable purpose. In one of Job’s dialogues with his friend Eliphaz, Job makes this observation. “Behold, I go forward, but he [God] is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:8-10). Job declared that he could not discern the working of God in the midst of his suffering. He acknowledged God’s activity, but maintained he could not perceive, behold, or see him. In fact, as far as Job could tell God was not there.
Note, however, Job’s true testimony of faith. Though human senses could not confirm the presence and performance of God, Job testified to three significant spiritual realities. First, God was intimately aware of the circumstances prevailing upon Job. He asserted “he knoweth the way that I take.” For the child of God there is no difficulty, hardship, or suffering in this life that our heavenly Father does not completely know.
The Psalmist found such knowledge a cause of rejoicing. He testified “I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble: thou hast known my soul in adversities” (Psalm 31:7). God is aware both of the difficulty (“considered my trouble”), and its impact on my being (“hast known my soul”).
The second spiritual reality is that God controls the circumstances and features of the adversity (e.g., duration, extent, etc.). Job was unequivocal about the source of his suffering as he declared “when he [God] hath tried me.” It was Satan who took the lives of his children, provoked thieves to steal all of his possessions, and afflict him with a painful disease. But all of this was done under God’s permission. He set the boundaries.
The third spiritual reality is the suffering was purposeful. Job understood that God would refine his faith, and he would come forth “as gold.” This marvel of Job’s life is true for every child of God. Suffering is dispensed in meticulous specificity from the loving hand of our heavenly Father with infinite wisdom to accomplish his purpose. God uses such things to make the image of his dear Son increasingly manifest in our lives unto his glory and ultimately ours. Paul reminded the Corinthians “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things that are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
From the Chaplain 